恕

shù

如 + 心

Definitions

shù (verb) to forgive; to be lenient; empathy

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 心 represents the meaning and 如 represents the sound.

Semantic: 心 Phonetic: 如

About

恕 is a phono-semantic compound with the semantic radical 心 (xīn, heart) at the base, indicating its connection to emotions and mental states, and the phonetic component 如 (rú, as/like) on top. This structure reflects its meaning of forgiveness and empathy. The phonetic 如 also adds a semantic nuance, implying the act of comparing one's heart with another's, the core of understanding another's perspective, which leads to tolerance and pardon.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我宽恕你的错误。

Wǒ kuānshù nǐ de cuòwù.

I forgive your mistake.

恕我不能同意你的观点。

Shù wǒ bù néng tóngyì nǐ de guāndiǎn.

Forgive me for not being able to agree with your point of view.

他请求宽恕自己的罪过。

Tā qǐngqiú kuānshù zìjǐ de zuìguò.

He asked for forgiveness for his sins.

如果你诚心道歉，我会恕你。

Rúguǒ nǐ chéngxīn dàoqiàn, wǒ huì shù nǐ.

If you apologize sincerely, I will forgive you.

宽恕他人是一种美德。

Kuānshù tārén shì yī zhǒng měidé.

Forgiving others is a virtue.

尽管他伤害了我，但我还是选择恕他。

Jǐnguǎn tā shānghàile wǒ, dàn wǒ háishì xuǎnzé shù tā.

Even though he hurt me, I still choose to forgive him.

在某些文化中，恕的概念与正义紧密相连。

Zài mǒu xiē wénhuà zhōng, shù de gàiniàn yǔ zhèngyì jǐnmì xiānglián.

In some cultures, the concept of forgiveness is closely linked to justice.

唯有透过深刻的自我反省，才能真正做到恕己恕人。

Wéiyǒu tòuguò shēnkè de zìwǒ fǎnxǐng, cái néng zhēnzhèng zuò dào shù jǐ shù rén.

Only through profound self-reflection can one truly achieve forgiving oneself and others.

Related Characters

Component: 如

Component: 心

恕